Voices in the Dark

“I understand now. I did not know the circumstances before, and I apologise.”

“Thank you.”

“That was a terrible injury my friend, you must make sure you are fully ready before attempting again.”

“I will be ready soon.”

“The eldest has been gone too long, you do realise that?”

“I know, but I will not give up on her.”

“I did not think you would, or should. If you like, I could help you?”

“I can not ask another to follow me. This task is mine and mine alone.”

“You did not ask my friend, I offered. I am fully aware of the risks, which is why I want to help.”

“Then yes, I would be grateful for your help and for your company. It is a long and lonely journey that saps the strength, perhaps together we could do more.”

“I will be there, just let me know when you intend to leave.”


.

Chapter Four. The Strings Of Fate

Nell and Chiyo stood before the fifth door, hoping they had found the right room. Taking a deep breath Nell raised her arm and rapped softly on the wood before lowering it back to her side, waiting patiently for a reply. They could hear a snuffling noise, a scrape of a chair, yet still the door remained closed. Sighing, Nell knocked again, this time the door slowly opened, revealing a large sorrowful brown eye shining brightly with tears yet to be shed.

Seeing it was newcomers, Jimmy stepped back and opened the door a little wider, revealing a dirty smudge, almost like a bruise, on the end his nose, the only indication of his encounter with Suzy. The monkey saw what the girls were staring at and quickly turned, practically diving on the bed. He buried his head beneath the covers, sobbing as his tail lay limply over the edge of the bed, not even a twitch of its former self. Nell closed the door behind her and stood silently, not knowing what to say or do to comfort the broken soul before her.

“She...she...said next time, I would be for...for the Baruss!” Jimmy wailed to no one in particular. The wail broke Nell's indecision, approaching the bed she sat beside the monkey and gently laid a hand on Jimmy’s back, his body shuddering beneath her touch.

“Oh Jimmy, I am so sorry.”

“She...she will be...be really mad if she knew...knew you two were...were in here! This is her room...hers...Never mine...You...I...Oh!” The rest of his words were lost within great soul wrenching, body heaving, sobs.

As Nell stroked his back, he drew comfort from her silent presence and began to quieten, finally the hitches in his breathing abated. Consoled and feeling more himself, Jimmy slowly extracted his head from the blankets and turned red rimmed eyes on to the little rag doll. She continued to stroke the fur on his back, in rhythmic soothing strokes, a sad look of empathy on her face.

“Why are you so nice?” He asked, puzzled and a little suspicious as to her motives.

“I'm just being me,” Nell said, taken aback. “I am treating you no differently than I would anyone else. I'm no different than the next person.”

“No. No one is nice unless they want something here. But you...There is something about you.” He said quizzically, knowing something was different yet unable to place his paw on the reason. He sat up and wiped his eyes. “You make people feel better by just...just being there....just being you.” His eyes widened as he stared long and hard at Nell, making her feel uncomfortable with the intensity of his gaze.

Chiyo sat bemused, watching Jimmy watch Nell. It occurred to her that he had just seen something that he had never seen before. Something that he never expected to ever see, at least not in this place, this nightmare. She was about to ask what he had seen when all hell broke loose out in the corridor, the toll of numerous bells shattering the quiet afternoon. Jimmy bounded from the bed, a range of emotions playing across his features. Fear was first followed by sadness and finally a resolute look, resigning himself to the job that needed to be done. Swinging into action, he hurried from the room. Nell and Chiyo followed as he ran down the corridor, heading towards the ringing bells.

Even before they had turned the corner, they knew something awful was happening. Nell was not sure that she wanted to find out what it was, but the mournful crying, that could now be heard over the bells, tugged somewhere at her heart and she knew she needed to help that person.


By Little_Nell

Little William stood in the middle of the corridor beside two dolls, identical except for the colour of their clothes, one red, one green. He looked both sad and irate at the same time as only he could. He kept pressing his small stubby arms to his face; both came away a little damper each time. He noticed Nell and Chiyo and made his way over to them.

“Oh what a day! Poor Popit has been caught by Samantha and punished!” He offered by way of explanation.

“What is she being punished for?” Nell asked, genuine curiosity edging her voice.

“They were both doing their daily work, polishing the Ghost Globes. Topit startled Popit who then dropped the globe she was polishing. It rolled; hit a stack of globes and, long story short, they all shattered! Six Ghosts in all, six, escaped, and Samantha was mad as hell! Livid, even!” Little William's voice rising in volume with each word uttered.

“Ghost Globes? Escapee ghosts?” Chiyo scoffed, not believing what she was hearing, as she crawled to the floor, her silk strand ensuring her safe descent.

“You really know nothing of this awful place! What we have to do, what we need to remember, what we see every day! Poor Popit was given the harshest punishment!” William snapped, more harshly than he intended but too irate to care about hurting someone else's feelings. William stalked over and grabbed the green dolls arm and pointed to the wrist clasped in his hand. It was then that Chiyo noticed something hanging from the green dolls, Popit's, right arm. A small piece of red string was tied around her arm too tight to slip off but loose enough so as not to cut into the fabric beneath. “Open your eyes! Can you not see the string she has been given?!”

“What's the string for?” the spider asked, noticing Nell moving over towards the two crying dolls, hoping to offer comfort.

William sighed as he dropped Popit's wrist, wiped his little plastic face again. He walked a few paces from the dolls before continuing in a low voice. “It is one of the mark's of punishment. Three different coloured strings. Blue string for extra work duties. Yellow string means you're to be thrown into the pit. And red string.” His mouth quivered as he tried to continue. “Red string for the Walk of Shame.”

Chiyo stared at William. As far as she understood it, being thrown into the pit would be the worst punishment. Eternal darkness in a bottomless pit? How bad was a walk of shame? William could see the puzzled expression on her face, knowing what she was thinking.

“The Walk of Shame is not what you think it is. It involves being left out in the corridor at night after the candles are lit in the rooms. You see, the hall candles are only lit when a new resident enters the house. The corridors are normally kept dark to allow the Baruss to do its nightly duty. The Walk of Shame involves walking past every door in your corridor as each door is closed on you, forever. It involves being left to either the Baruss, or if you can escape him, the forest. What happens to you, no one really knows, as no one has ever come back.” William hung his head.

Chiyo was disgusted, alarmed, but most of all, angered. “Why doesn't anyone allow the person into their room? Try to take off the string? Do none of you even try and save each other?! Do none of you even care?!”

William looked more miserable than Chiyo thought a plastic face should show. “The strings are magic, they can not come off. If you wear the red string, you have until the sun sets to get your affairs in order. After that you cannot enter any room in the entire house. As for not helping? Well, I once had a room-mate, David. He tried to help someone on the Walk of Shame and was dragged from his room by the Baruss who appeared from nowhere. I never saw him again. Only time I have ever seen a candle die.”

It was as if William had only just noticed Jimmy, who until now had been doing a valiant job of trying to blend into the back ground. Not an easy task for a bright orange monkey. The dolls face morphed into a snarling face of hate. “You! You traitor! Have you come for a look at your next job, huh? Huh? Think you would try and make her feel worse before she walks? You.. You...Monster!” William threw himself at Jimmy, who jumped up to the rafters above and clung there, looking as if he wished he had never been born.

William landed on his knees, his rage leaving him as quickly as it came only to be replaced by fresh tears. Chiyo looked up at Jimmy, who stared back down at her, searching for some look of compassion from the spider. A sign that she understood. “We all do what we have to, to survive in this house. You have your duties and I have mine. I'm sorry.” He whispered sadly. Chiyo watched Jimmy for a moment, realising how genuine the apology was.

“She is my friend, Chiyo, my best friend. But Topit is her sister, her twin, she will feel it harder than me. It’s all so horrible.”


Topit, her chin rested on her sisters head, watched as the rag doll approached. She had heard of the newcomer but this was the first time she had seen her. Nell didn’t really know what to say, but she wanted with all her heart to help Popit, and it showed on her face.

“I know you helped put William back together again, but this is different. No one can help Popit now.” Another cry rose from Popit as her little wooden head buried deeper into her sisters coat.

“Nothing?” Nell asked, a sadness growing within her, knowing it to be true yet still wishing it wasn't. Topit shook her head before turning her attention back to her sister.

“Popit, look at me.” She took a hold of Popit's chin and tilted her head up. She was met with swollen red eyes and almost cracked when she saw the pain they held. “We will do this together.” Topit said, gently stroking Popit’s face, wiping the tears away as she had always done.

“No!” Wailed Popit, a fresh flood of tears replacing the ones before. “There is no reason for you to suffer too! I won't let you do it!”

Topit shook her head. “I gave you the fright that made you drop the Globe, it's as much my fault as yours. We have done everything together, everything. We came here together and we will leave here together.” Topit pulled her sister closer, placing a soft kiss to her forehead. “I cannot, and will not, live without you. In our lifetime we have shared everything, now we shall share the same fate too.” She whispered through her tears, her voice filled with love.

A soft touch on her cheek told Nell that Chiyo had found her perch again. The ragdoll closed her eyes briefly and leaned into the touch, taking the comfort being offered. The spider could see the pain on her friends face. She knew that Nell was never meant for a place as dark and terrible as this. Yet she didn’t know how to save her from it.

“Why don’t we go to my room?” William said. “My chores are finished; we have the rest of the day to...” He fell silent, his eyes downcast, searching and failing to find a way to end the sentence.

Say goodbye, Chiyo thought.

As they walked along the corridor, some of the Houses other occupants were returning from their chores. From the solemn looks and sympathetic expressions of some, the news had spread of poor Popit's punishment.

How many times have they seen this red string? Chiyo wondered sadly.

As the five entered William's room, three doors down from the turn in Nell and Chiyo's corridor, Nell gasped. She now realised what William had meant about her room being nice. The wallpaper of this room was falling from the walls. In some places the plaster had fallen off, exposing the red muscular fibre of the house. And everything was covered in years of grime that no amount of cleaning would remove.

“Like I said,” William said, looking towards Nell, “Your room is still nice.”

As Nell stared aghast at the room, Topit took the opportunity to actually look at Nell. She could see what William had tried to put into words. An innocence, a pure soul, untainted yet by the darkness here. It was that that made Topit want to tell the ragdoll any information that would help her help others, before they left this place. Before their walk of shame.

Topit began the tale of woe, of desperation, a life of servitude to the one called Teviel. The tasks that were to be performed each and every day. And as is the want with twins Popit joined in, finishing the sentences started by Topit and starting her own for her sister to finish.

“Everyone who enters the house is assigned a task.”

“It never changes.”

“We had to take care of the Ghost Globes, polishing them.”

“Caring for them. Every time they run out.”

“We put six new globes onto a mount in the centre of the room, and take the empty ones away.”

“Clean out the sludge, then stack them.”

“All the rest are polished and numbered. Every day.” Topit finished.

“But what are the globes?” Nell asked, confused, and getting a little dizzy from flicking her attention between the two sisters. “What do they do?”

“No one knows really.”

“They are clear with a milky white substance inside that constantly moves. Sometimes.”

“They glow real bright; sometimes they are dull and offer little light.”

“But every day we must do as the work is written on the wall.”

“And never ever break them.” Popit whispered with a fresh tear on her cheek.

“And what of other duties? What else is done here?” Chiyo asked, wondering what was in store for them tomorrow.

“Changing bed sheets, collecting rubbish. They are basic duties we must all perform. Then we are given the real task at hand, be it the Ghost Globe room or the keeping of the kitchen.” William joined in the conversation, adding a third direction into the dizzying spin of Nell's head.

“Kitchen?” Nell said, realising that she was not even hungry despite the fact she had not eaten in, well, she could not remember ever having eaten.

“Not food for us, none of us need it.” Popit said when she saw Nell's hand rub at her stomach.

“It is for the likes of Suzy and Samantha. And Beeble of course.” Topit spat out, the names leaving a bitter taste within her mouth.

“Why do they need to eat, when we don't?” Chiyo wondered.

“Did you not see the scales, the body under the cloth and porcelain? They are not like us. They need to eat.”

Nell thought about Beeble. He had not had any reptilian body; he was just a big friendly bear. No trace of scales or at least not that she could remember from their brief encounter. Her mind could not put him with the others.

“What are they fed?” Chiyo asked, her interest piqued.

“The sludge from the Globes.” Popit said, a sickened look on her face.

“There are many rooms and many duties that need to be done to keep this house in working order.” Topit said, trying to get the conversation back to explaining the things she thought would help the ragdoll. “The house is alive and therefore needs to be nourished and cared for.”

Even though Nell knew the house was alive, she never thought of it as an entity that required food or water. The thought of living inside a living being was now making her feel queasy, only adding to the unease within her.

William looked to Topit, and she nodded her head. Silently giving him the permission he was seeking.

“We think there is a way out of this place.” He said his voice almost inaudible.

“Well why don’t we all just leave!” Cried Chiyo.

William paled at the shout and looked to the door nervously crossing everything he could in the hope no one had heard the spiders comment. Topit motioned for the spider to keep her voice down.

“This house has more ears and treacherous mouths than even I know about. Be mindful of what you utter so close to nightfall.” Topit warned. Chiyo settled down on her legs a little red in the face but suitably chastised.

“The key to leaving is Bango.” Topit took up the story in a hushed tone. “He is the one who has left here and come back. Sometimes he manages to sneak another out with him, other times he leaves alone.”

“So where is this Bango we keep hearing about?” Chiyo asked.

“No one knows. He has not been seen in so long, he is no more than a fairy tale to most, a legend to tell the younger ones among us. If anyone would know anything about him, it would be Terriah.”

“But no one has seen Terriah for so long, we wonder if she has been killed.” William whispered.

“Who is Terriah?” Nell asked.

“Terriah is said to be the very first occupant of the house, only Beeble has been here as long. She is a patchwork doll, made from many different materials. She looks so old and ugly that most fear her at first glance, but she has one of the kindest souls here. So does Bango...and you.” William said looking at Nell in something akin to reverence.

Nell was shocked and only managed to gape at William after his revelation. William and the twins stared back with hope in their eyes. She wondered just how bad the other occupants of the house really were, if she could be considered one of the best things in it.

“Nell, you, you and Chiyo, we have not seen your likes in many years.” Popit said.

“Many years?” Nell asked, “How long have you been here?”

“Too long…Perhaps this is a good time to leave, before our souls are too tarnished.” She said, pulling Popit closer. “You have to seek out Terriah; I believe you could be the one who can free us all from this house.”

“I’ve been here less than a day! How can you possibly think that! You don’t know me!” Nell said, almost too loud for comfort.

“It is in your eyes Nell. Your eyes.”

Chiyo crawled down and looked at Nell, really looked at her closely, for the first time since they met. She stared at her eyes, knowing full well that Nell was becoming more and more uncomfortable with each passing second. Then she saw it. A hypnotic quality to her eyes. The longer you looked the more you could see. Her brown button eyes had a milky quality to them, ebbing and flowing like the tide. It was a hint of something deeper, a depth that you could lose yourself in.


Nell stood up, breaking eye contact with the rest of the rooms occupants. She wandered to the window to give herself time to settle the churning feelings that were making her so uncomfortable.

I'm ordinary. I'm Nell, Little Nell. No more, no less. She repeated this litany over and over to herself, not sure who she was trying to convince.

“What makes you think I want to help anyone?” She sniped, her anxieties causing the anger. “I helped William, so what?”

“With eyes like those, so like what Terriah's and Bango's eyes are fabled to be like? The fact they are so like the Ghost Globes, the only things in this awful place that feels good? You know you would help if you could.” Popit said.

Nell knew Popit spoke the truth. If Nell could break everyone free from this place she would, and destroy it at the same time so no others would suffer this fate. Before anything else was said, a soft woosh of air came from behind Nell. The candle on the wall stood in its sconce now lit, shedding its eerie light about the room.

Popit muffled a gasp with her hand as she realised it was time. Her time.

“You must go back to your room. Nell, do not get caught outside of your room tonight, or any other. Once the candles light you have ten minutes before the hall candles are snuffed. That is when no one should walk the corridors.” Topit said, holding her shaking sister. “Go now, and do not worry of our fate. We go willingly and happily, knowing you are here to offer comfort to those we leave behind. Find Terriah, she has the answers you seek.”

Nell and Chiyo ran back to their room, never once looking back. They weren't the only ones running, the corridor was packed. Everyone trying to make the safety of their own room before candles out.

Once inside, they tried to close the door but no matter how hard the two pushed there was no movement. Nell's struggles increased as slowly the hall candles went out one by one. Tears of frustration welled in her eyes, knowing that she was going to be subjected to Popit's punishment whether she wanted it or not. Giving up her futile attempts to close the door she sat at the foot of her bed. Scooping Chiyo from the floor she holding her tight, fearing without that contact her friend might be taken from her.

The eerie candle light flickered into the corridor, making the scene more ominous. Then the bell's began to toll. A steady beat to it, a death march of sorts. The sound sent shivers through Nell's tiny frame. The pounding in Nell's heart and the bell's were still not loud enough to drown out the awful sound of the doors slamming.

The light in the corridor grew dimmer with each closing door, until finally Topit and Popit made their way to Nell's door, Jimmy following behind, his features set into an unreadable mask.

Jimmy did not look like he enjoyed his task, he was just doing his job to the best of his ability as he followed the twins on their final walk. As they passed Nell and Chiyos door, the Twins smiled at them, sadly. And then they were gone.

The door slammed. Three more doors were heard to slam before the house began to quake. The candle flickered. A roar so awful it made Nell run for the bed, tore through the corridors, echoing through the darkness.

The Baruss was loose.

Nell threw her head under the pillow, squeezing it as tight to her ears as she could, Chiyo still cupped in her hand. She did not want to hear this, she could not live with the memory.

Screaming into the pillow, she tried to block out the noise of the roaring and anything else that she might hear. The room shook so violently she was almost thrown from the bed.

Then silence. It was done.

Whether the twins had escaped to the forest or not, Nell would never know. She cried and sobbed into the pillow, angry, sad, scared and every emotion in between. Chiyo squirmed as her cupped hand became a fist, Nell reflexively opened her hand before she crushed her friend.

The spider ran to the window, scrabbling over the wall until she came to the dirty glass. Peering out, hoping to glimpse the two dolls as they escaped, knowing that the possibility of escape was remote. Her heart felt as heavy as the storm that raged outside the window.

A noise at the door drew her attention and she looked to see something being pushed under it. Crawling towards the door with the intent to look under it she almost jumped out of her skin when Nell stopped her. The big ragdoll scooped her up to her shoulder before lifting the object.

It was a scrap of folded paper. She opened it, hating the slimy, dirty, feel of it. Five words greeted her, written in russet brown ink.

“Globe Room, after Candles Out.”


.

Chapter Three. The Cold Light Of Day

It occurred to Nell that the house was an entirely different creature in daylight. The candles were now blown out, standing whole ready for the coming night. With their eerie glow gone, the hall seemed less ominous. The House itself lost its presence, its life, and appeared to be just what it was. It was not an entity, nor malevolent, just a normal everyday house.

With each step the new friends took Nell started to doubt the memory of her flight through the corridors. She even started to relax as she and Chiyo wandered the corridor, in search of Jimmy, they saw various creatures walking the wooden path. Although no one appeared intimidating, none seemed friendly either.

There was an overgrown baby doll toddling down the hall in front of them, a pacifier clenched between its lips, sucking as if it's very life depended on it. It waddled along lost and alone, it's eyes devoid of any life. A small toy car whizzed by, its driver tooting the horn angrily as it swerved to avoid the baby, his face reddened with rage as it hurtled out of sight. Both were too caught up in their own little worlds to talk to Nell. Others walked the halls too, but their reactions were the same, barely noticing the new inhabitants and passing on by whenever she tried to introduce herself.

One, two, three doors........Jimmy had said five doors along, didn’t he? Did he mean five along from her room, or fifth door along including hers? Nell thought absently, as she caught her foot on something and almost stumbled. A small yell came from the ground and she jumped back realising she had been paying more attention to the doors than where she was going.

“Oh yeah, great! Just great! You big bumbling idiot! You know, those eyes are in your head for a reason! Watch where you're putting your massive feet, eh? Jeez! A guy could get killed around here with you on the loose!” A tiny little bean doll with a purple body and a plastic face shouted. He was only about ten centimetres high, cursing and trying unsuccessfully to hold in beans falling from a newly burst hole in his seam.

“Oh, great! Just perfect! Now I need to go see Tom and get fixed! Do you even realise how much trouble I am going to be in? Did it not even register in that pea you call a brain? Of course it didn't! You don’t have a clue, not one. The new bumbling idiot, I presume? As if things aren't bad enough round here, they go and let newbies stomp around, stepping on the little folk. Man! Are you even listening to me?” The small doll screamed, it's face going through a multitude of colour changes before settling into a purple hue that matched its body perfectly.

“I...I am so sorry! I never saw you!” Stammered Nell by way of an apology. Too shocked to offer anything else.

“Of course you didn’t! It never occurred to you that there would be folk smaller than you. You...you....ninkompoop!”

Nell watched as the little guy wandered off, holding his seam shut while still muttering curses, a small trail of beans trickling onto the dirty wooden floor in his wake. Chiyo couldn't quite contain the chuckle that escaped her, finding the little doll highly amusing.

“Oh, laugh it up hairy! Oh yeah, you think you are bigger than me? Perched up there on that idiots shoulder? Come down and laugh at me, eh? Come on hairy!” He screamed.

Still chuckling Chiyo turned to her friend, wanting to share the mirth she felt. The laughter died on her lips though when she noticed the fresh tear falling from Nell’s button eye and merriment was replaced by anger.

“Oh no Nell, don’t you dare cry for him. How dare you talk to someone like that! Who do you think you are?” Chiyo shouted after the doll as she jumped down from Nell’s shoulder to land on the wooden floor. She scuttled after the purple doll, gathering a few of his fallen beans as she went, with the express intention of using them in defence of her friend.

“Don’t you ever stop to think, perhaps, that you should also be looking where you're going, you silly purple thing?” She said, lifting a long leg and hurling a bean along with the insult. A second and third followed in quick succession, but only one found its mark.

The doll clutched at the site of the impact with both hands, his split seam forgotten as soon as the bean made contact with his belly. The two friends braced themselves for an explosion but instead of a barrage of angry curses, a massive sob escaped the purple doll and he fell to his knees. Beans pooling around his hunched form, spreading at an alarming rate across the wooden boards. Chiyo was taken aback. She did not think that the doll would back down let alone cry.

“I’m sorry, I was rude, I know I was.” He sobbed. “It’s just....Suzy will kill me!”

“Now, now, I am sure Suzy will understand.” Chiyo said, looking back towards Nell with a sheepish look.

“No, you don’t understand. Suzy will kill me! Like really, harvest my parts, use my beans as spares and throw what's left in the pit, kill me! When...when a worker gets damaged, that's what she does and then gets a new one to take their place!” He cried.

Nell lowered herself to the floor, crossed her legs, and looked the little doll in the eye. “What's your name?” She asked, pushing her hair out of her face.

“William.” He offered between sobs.

“Well William. I'm Nell and this is Chiyo, and I am sure that we can help you.” Nell said soothingly.

William looked up, wide eyes showing more emotion than his plastic face could ever portray. Fear, shock and even hope emanated from them in equal proportions.

“You...you think you can fix me? Like, I wouldn’t need to tell Suzy?” He asked in a whisper, not sure if he wanted to hear the answer yet needing to.

By way of an answer Nell bent forward and picked William up, placing him in her hip pocket before gathering as many of his fallen beads as she could. Instead of taking up her normal perch, Chiyo decided to join William in the pocket instead. Before the spider had even settled into a comfortable position, Nell was on her feet and heading back to their room. Knowing, without a doubt, that if they tried to fix William in the hallway word would get back to Suzy, somehow, and she didn't want to contemplate what fate the three would share.

Once the door was closed she sat on the bed. Taking William from her pocket she placed him next to her, and smiled at Chiyo as she too emerged from the pocket. The spider took up her spot on the pillow, offering silent support to both dolls.

“Gee, your room is still nice.” William said with awe.

“What do you mean still nice?” Nell asked as she put the beans onto the bed.

“Well, after a while, the room becomes like the hallways, a little more scary like. I know the candles are lit to keep us safe, but this house likes to play with your mind. You know? It can still scare the crap out of you, even though it can’t get in your room.”

Nell looked at Chiyo who stared grimly back. So much for the safe room theory, she thought.

“Well, lets see if we can fix you.” Nell said, a little shaken but determined not to show any more signs of weakness, especially in her own room.

William stood up and leaned to his left, showing the big hole in his side. The stitch had obviously popped and the thread had unwound in both directions.

“I don’t know how you're going to fix it.” He said as he stared miserably at the size of the hole. “Once a thread pops like that the ends never meet up again. I'm done for.”

“Well, good job I'm here.” said Chiyo. “I am rather good at stitching, and weaving, and...well just about anything involving threads.”

Nell carefully tried to poke the beans she had managed to save back into Williams side, which was harder than it sounded. Mittened hands, small beans and little holes weren't a good combination. Chiyo could see Nell working herself into a state with each bean that she couldn't get back inside. Quietly she went to the pile of beans and started to help put them back where they belonged.

When the friends had finished, William pinched the hole shut between his two stubby arms as tight as he could. Chiyo then used her webbing to stitch the hole shut. She stitched the seam three times, just to be safe. It wasn't neat and it certainly wasn't perfect, but that didn't matter to William. He let out a whoop of joy and bounced off the bed.

“Wow! I can’t believe it! You guys...you guys are the best! And I was so rude.” He said, palming his face with his stubby hand as he realised just how he had reacted earlier. “So rude and yet you helped. Man, this place needs more like you here. I'm sorry and thank you so, so, so much!”

“Hey! Calm down or you will burst another seam!” Chiyo called out, smiling at the doll's enthusiasm.

“I...I need to go! I'm late. Suzy will notice I'm not where I'm supposed to be. But I promise, I will come by before Candles on, I swear!” He said, racing to the door.

“Wait! Can you tell us where Jimmy is?” Nell said, getting to her feet to open the door for William. This stopped the tiny doll dead in his tracks before he spun round to look up at Nell. His expression one of pure amazement and a dash of horror.

“Why would you want to see Jimmy? Jimmy is nothing but trouble. More so than all the other monkeys here put together.”

“He...well...I don’t know. Suzy hit him and we wanted to make sure he was alright, and he mentioned Bango...”

“Bango? He told you about Bango?” William asked, more sharply than he intended.

“Well, he mentioned Bango, said it was like a legend or a fairy tale. We just wanted to know more.”

“Bango is no fairytale Nell, Bango is as real as the beans in my body. I know, I met him, only once. But I search for him every moment I can.” Before anyone could assimilate that piece of information the silence was shattered by a gigantic boom that shook the door within it's frame and sent the dust on the floor soaring into the air.

“Oh no! No, no, no, no, no!” cried William, running in circles, his small stubby hands on his head. “This can’t be happening! Of all days! I’m dead, I am so dead!”

As another boom rattled the door William dived towards the bed looking for salvation beneath its wooden frame. He reappeared as soon as he had hidden himself, smacking the side of his head with his stubby hand. “Idiot! She will know where you hide!” His eyes still darting around, hoping beyond hope that there was an escape route.

“Who will know?” Nell whispered, her anxiety hitting a whole new level.

“Sa...Sa....Samantha!” William squeaked.

Seconds ticked by and all within the room held their breath, waiting for the next boom. When it finally came it sounded further away, and William took the opportunity to fly out the door and slam it behind him. Nell and Chiyo stared at the door for a long time, listening to the booming as it faded into the distance, becoming nothing more than a dull thud as the threat named Samantha got further away.

“Wow, he is more scared of Samantha than he was of Suzy.” Nell said.

“Perhaps she is bigger than Suzy.” Chiyo offered. “If they were her footsteps...”

“Yeah.” Nell answered automatically, her mind not on the conversation.

“Look Nell, I know this place seems to be getting scarier by the minute, but we have a day, or at least what's left of it, of freedom before we are given who knows what sort of job. I don't intend to waste this time cowering in here. We still need answers. So what do you say? Do you still want to find Jimmy?” The answering nod was all Chiyo needed, and before Nell could blink, the spider was on her perch, waiting for Nell to get the door.

“I wonder if Jimmy was lying to us, or if he really didn't know that Bango was real.”

“Maybe William's the one who's lying.” Chiyo replied as Nell reached for the doorknob.

As her hand pulled on the door it was pushed violently from the other side, flying open and knocking Nell to the floor, sending Chiyo into the far wall with a sickening thud. Looking first to the spider to make sure she was alright and seeing the expression on her face, Nell turned back to the door to find out what else had come to invade her room. She cringed in horror, her face a mirror image of Chiyo's.

A porcelain doll loomed in the doorway, almost filling the entire frame. Half of her face had obviously been shattered years ago but it appeared to have been pieced together again by a deranged madman, one who had failed to use the original parts. Whilst one eye was the picture of sky blue innocence, the other was a sickly orange surrounded by mottled blue scales. The twisted grin painted beneath just added to the visage, and not in a nice way.


By little_nell at 2009-03-18

“And so I find the new comers.” She said in a voice dripping with sarcastic venom. “Lucky me.”

“Hello,” the ragdoll said shakily as she got back to her feet. Chiyo scrambled for her shoulder not wanting Nell to face this new threat alone. “You must be Samantha.”

“Ha! You know my name! I wonder who told you that?” She said, looking around the room. “Someone else in here?” Her glass eye stayed in position as the reptilian eye scoured the room. Nell couldn't repress the shudder at the thought of how much that eye could possibly see.

“I...I just heard your name being mentioned as we.....” Her voice dropped to a whisper as Samantha squeezed herself into the room and stood towering over Nell.

“I highly doubt that anyone would mention my name in the hallways.” Samantha said. “who was in here?” She demanded.

“No...no one.” Stammered Nell.

“That’s okay. I will find out eventually.” Samantha smirked. “Be sure to report to Suzy in the morning as soon as the candle has regenerated.” She said. “Or...I will come looking for you.” She added in a sickly sweet voice.

Samantha squeezed back out of the room, looking up and down the corridor, sniffing the air as if she could catch the scent of her next victim.

“Oh and by the way.” She said, turning to face Nell once more. “Next time, make sure you get all the beans back inside a doll.”

With that, Samantha boomed her way back along the corridor, leaving Nell and Chiyo fearful for William.

.

Voices In The Dark.

“I do not understand your fascination with this...thing. We have other work to do.”

“I know you don’t understand, but try. I can not stand back and allow this to happen again.”

“You do realise that you may be wasting time, time that could be better spent?”

“I will make time for this.”

“Well, if you think you can help, I suppose you should.”

.

Chapter Two. Tall Tails.

She was running through the forest. Her heart going a mile a minute within her chest. She knew what was chasing her but not it's true form. Branches reached for her, like gnarled hands, trying to snag her hair, her clothes, anything to hinder her flight. Each time she fell, she was up on the next beat. Not even noticing her stitches had been torn or that her stuffing was slowly spilling from her body.

Her fear gave only one instruction. Run. Her instinct kicked in and she obeyed. The noise, she now knew belonged to the Baruss, echoed through the trees. She stopped and spun the noise seeming to come from all directions, joined now by a new huffing sound like the panting of some great beast. Hot, fetid, air filled the clearing where Nell found herself. The smell it carried was enough to turn even the strongest of stomachs, making her eyes water and her hand clamp tightly over her mouth.

Panic filled her as the Baruss gained ground, her eyes darting in all directions looking for a safe haven. Through the twisted trunks she could make out the shape of the house and took off in that direction. If she had fingers or toes she would have crossed them and prayed that the Baruss wasn't between her and the door. The trees thinned around her but the grabbing roots and branches tried all the harder to prevent her departure. Three times she fell, each time harder than the last.

The House being her only goal. Her prize, safety. No matter how much she despised the building it offered salvation at this point in time. Only a few feet more and she'd be safe. A few feet more and she can stop running. A few feet more. The maw that was the houses mouth opened in a leering grin. All teeth and plenty of bite. A few feet more.

Then there was ten feet, twenty, thirty. A gray mottled hand with yellowing fingernails, had wrapped itself around Little Nell's waist and was now lifting her from the ground, carrying her away from the house. From safety. The shrieking of the Baruss rose to fever pitch as she saw glowing red eyes awaiting her return to the forest. She punched and kicked at the hand that gripped her, biting, clawing, anything to try and loosen the hold.

Then the hold did loosen, it disappeared completely and Nell found herself sailing through the air, straight towards those twisted eyes. Screwing her own eyes up in the hopes to change her fate she screamed out her fear.

Her rapid descent was ended harshly as she struck the floor. The scream cut short as the air was pushed from her lungs in one go. Her eyes flew open looking for a way to avoid the monster she had been running from only to settle on Chiyo. The spider bore a bemused and concerned look that appeared comical on her face.

Chiyo, who had been sleeping soundly before Nell had tumbled from the bed, slowly stretched, curled back in to a ball and rolled off the bed to join the little ragdoll on the floor.

“Morning Nell.” The spider mumbled around a yawn.

Nell stretched her arms and legs, checked that her stitching was still sound, then tried to forget the nightmare that was already starting to fade. Her only hope was that the bruises to her bottom and pride would fade just as quickly.

“Sorry for the rude awakening. Hope you slept better than I did.” Nell asked with a slight quirk to her mouth.

“Oh, you mean the screaming or the thud as you hit the floor? Or are you apologising for the snoring before that?” The spider couldn't help but turn serious again as Nell rubbed at her face in an attempt to rid her eyes of some unseen image. “Seriously, are you alright?”

“Yeah, just a bad dream.” Nell yawned and made her way to the window. Looking out she realised that it was in fact morning. No sun shone in the sky, just churning storm clouds that threatened to unleash their burden at any moment. The light that managed to get through was poor, yet it didn't prevent Nell from seeing the forest of her nightmare. The trees charred black even by day. The ground a seething, roiling blanket of motion that mimicked the sky above.

Chiyo watched silently whilst Nell became lost in thought, wondering whether to interrupt until she saw the small tremors that were running through her new friend. Quickly scampering across the dusty boards, she climbed to the ledge and blurted out the first thing she could think of.

“You hungry?”

Nell smiled, shaking her head before picking up the spider, placing her on her shoulder, and then turned away from the window. Her eyes took in the room in the cold light of day, and an involuntary tremor coursed her body again. She didn't want to spend the rest of her life in this room. The Bone window petrified her, the musty sheets made her itch. The room was so empty and unkempt that it brought a tear to her button eyes. Yet it was the candle that scared her the most.

Chiyo followed Nell's gaze to the flickering candle. “What's wrong, Nell?”

“Last night, Beeble said that nothing can enter the room as long as the candle is burning. Chiyo, that candle wont last much longer.” Her fear evident in her voice.

Chiyo looked at the candle. There was only an inch or so left, the melted wax solidifying around it as the eerie flame traveled down the wick.

“I think you need to tell me everything this Beeble character told you.” And with that Nell relayed the events of the previous night. “He said things only wander at night? And that the candle prevents those that walk the halls from entering the room? What he didn't say is it had to burn through the day.” Chiyo mused, more to herself than Nell, walking down Nell's arm and coming to rest on her hand. “But then, how do we light it again?”

“The candles in the corridor lit themselves last night. Maybe the room candles do it too.” Nell hoped she was right about this as she walked up to the candle, drew in a breath, and blew the flame out. Watching as a wisp of smoke rose from the now black wick. Otherwise, she thought, I have just blown out our safety. Literally.

“Nell! Look at the candle!” Chiyo gasped.

Nell watched, enthralled as the once solidified wax became liquid. Before their eyes the candle became whole again, even the wick looked untouched by flame. The candle stood there in its wall sconce, as if it had never been devoured by the eerie flame.

She looked to Chiyo, and slowly smiled. An honest heartfelt smile, which Chiyo gladly returned.

Tap! Tap! Tap!

“It’s probably Beeble.” Chiyo whispered, returning to the ragdolls shoulder.

“What if it’s not?”

“Go over to the door and I'll crawl under and see who it is. I am that small they probably wont see me.” Chiyo said, drawing her chelicerae into a small smile in the hopes of reassuring her friend.

Nell looked horrified at the prospect of Chiyo crawling into the hallway alone. Remembering how she had felt out there last night.

“I'll be alright. Tell you what, I will put a small web on your hand, and if I scream for help, you can draw me back into the room, okay?”

“Okay.” Nell agreed. “But, I don’t like it.”

After the web was securely fastened around Nell’s hand, Chiyo crawled under the door into the hallway outside. It was a tight squeeze but manageable at a push. After some huffing and puffing Chiyo emerged from under the door. She looked to her left then her right but the hallway was deserted.


She began to crawl back under the door when the door knocked again. Chiyo felt the web being pulled, and she was dragged clean under the door only to land with a plop at Little Nell's feet. She gathered her legs beneath her and stood to look at the girl.

“I am so sorry! I got a fright when the door was knocked again and I jumped!” Nell whispered as she picked up the spider.

“There was no one there.” Chiyo said, brushing a piece of lint from one of her eight legs.

“So who is chapping the door?” At the quirk of Chiyo's eyebrow, Nell explained. “You know, tapping, knocking, rapping, banging the door.”

Nell placed her hand on the doorknob, only to jump when the tapping came again. With a growl, more at herself than the tapper, she pulled the door open quickly to find the empty corridor staring back at her. Leaning out the door, she didn't even get the chance to turn her head before a big whirling orange ball collided with her. The force of the blow sent her crashing back into the room, almost squashing poor Chiyo in the process.

“Ah HA! I knew there was someone in here!” The whirling orange ball cried, jumping off Nell and bouncing onto the bed.

Nell got back to her feet and closed the door quietly, looking back toward what she could now see was a cuddly monkey. A very hyper, overactive, bouncing, orange monkey.

“Who are you?” She asked, a little annoyed at the way the monkey had hit her.

“I’m Jimmy, Jimmy Monkey.” he replied between bounces. “I knew someone was in this room! This room has been empty for as long as I have been here!”

“How long have you been here?” Chiyo asked, her eyes following Jimmy as he jumped off the bed and onto the window sill.

“I'm not sure how long exactly, but it has been a long time! I’m so happy to meet some new friends! I can call you friends, can't I? It can get...lonely here. Hey! I stay five doors along from you!”

“I'm Nell, and this little one is Chiyo.” Nell introduced herself, holding out her hand as she'd been taught once, when she did not know but manners were manners. Jimmy took the hand and jiggled it up and down before continuing his window bouncing. “Do you know what this place is? Where it is? Why we are here?” Nell asked. The questions tumbling from her mouth before she was even sat on the bed.

“Nope! And I'm not sure I want to either! No one here knows anything to be honest, except Bango.” Jimmy answered, as he vacated the sill and looped his tail through a rafter on the ceiling and began to swing upside down. “And Teviel, of course.” The last added as a whisper too quiet for either girl to hear.



By Little_Nell



“Bango?”

“Bango, yep. Apparently he has been here the longest, knows more than anyone about the place. It is said he has a warm room, with lots of things in it to play with and he's never lonely.”

“Where is Bango? We need to talk to him!” Chiyo said, glad to be getting somewhere.

“Bango is just a myth, a fairy tale. An idea that if you behave you will be rewarded. I've been a good boy, yet still I...Look Bango doesn’t exist. If he did then maybe...But nope.”

“So no one here knows anything about anything?” Nell said appalled.

“Nope! I know a few things. I know that we can not go out at night. We can not go into the forest. We can not sleep anywhere except the room we are given when we arrive here. We can never leave here. That's about all I know.” Jimmy said unfurling his tail and dropping to the floor below. “Look, I am not the best person to be asking, you need to ask someone like Beeble or Samantha about this place. It is too big to explore alone, and changes so often you never know if you are coming or going. Corridors move, doors disappear only to reappear elsewhere or to be lost for eternity. Well that's what I'm told anyways.”

Nell was having problems keeping up with Jimmy’s fast, confusing, talk. The answers he gave only created more questions, sending Nell's head into a spin, although from the words or his movements she wasn't sure.

“I've got to go. Places to do, things to see. You not got plans? Cruising the halls, beating your paws, it can be a perfectly fun way, to spend each and every day!” Jimmy sang as he leapt for the door. Throwing it back on it's hinges he stopped mid bounce. If he hadn't the blonde ragdoll on the other side would have had the stuffing knocked from her.

“Jimmy. What are you doing here?” The doll asked, ignoring both Nell and Chiyo.

“I was doing as you said, finding the newcomers. Guess what? Found them!”

The doll raised a hand and, before anyone realised her intentions, she cruelly slapped Jimmy on the nose. Nell gasped and Chiyo's jaw dropped, completely speechless.

“Go back to the room.” The doll said angrily, and watched as Jimmy bounded out of the room, tail between his legs. The doll looked around the room, her gaze finally settling on Chiyo. The black bead eyes staring with an intensity that made the spider nervous. “So we now allow pets in this place?”

“Who are you?” Nell asked in a tone so angry she scared herself.

The doll smirked and raised her eyes to look at Nell, sizing her up. She must not have liked what she saw as the contempt in her voice got thicker, if that was possible. “If you knew who I was you would not use that tone with me, girl.” She replied as she stepped further into the room, stopping inches from Nell. The ragdoll stood her ground refusing to flinch from this doll, knowing that if she showed weakness now, it would be the end of her.

“My name is Suzy, Jimmy is my roommate. I am the one in charge of this floor, and you will do well to remember that.” She turned to leave, giving Nell a view of a reptilian, blue tail, that stuck out from under the folds of her skirt. “I will be back tomorrow to give you your orders, the chores you will do in this house. If you go out of your room, remember, return before the candles light.”

Suzy left the room, her tail swishing down the hall. When the footsteps had faded into silence, Nell still hadn't moved. Chiyo unfolded her legs and crawled down Nell's arm so she could get a good look at her. Chiyo wondered what was going on until she saw a single tear leave the dolls eye only to be sucked into the cloth that formed her cheek. With a choked sob, the spell finally broke. Covering her face with her hand she dived on the bed. She would have crushed poor Chiyo had the spider not jumped at the last second and landed softly on the pillow.

“I hate this place! Why are we here? I want to go home!” She cried, her voice muffled by blankets and tears. Chiyo did not know what to say. She was just as miserable and could find no words to comfort Nell. So she sat in silent sympathy beside the only friend she could remember having.

When the tears subsided, and the sniffles settled into the soft rhythmic breathing of sleep, the little spider walked to the top of the pillow and made her way along the wall towards the window. Looking out, she sighed. This world was not her own, she knew that, but like Nell, she had no memory of what had come before waking here. But she did know this, if they were to stay here and live, not just survive but actually live, they would have to learn the ways of the house, and quickly.

Nell awoke feeling drained, only to deflate further when she realised this was not just some awful nightmare. Chiyo made her way back to the bed and brushed a long hairy leg across Nell's face, sweeping the dolls tousled hair away from her still wet face.

“I think we should go for a walk, see what else is in this house before we need to work tomorrow.” She said gently.

“Okay, but where should we go?” Nell answered, glad that she didn't have to explain herself or her actions to Chiyo.

“I think we should find Jimmy, see if he's alright. Maybe he can tell us some more about the Bango tale, it sounds interesting.”

“I don’t want to look for Jimmy. We might bump into Suzy.” Nell said, fear creeping back into her eyes.

“Well, if Suzy is in charge of this floor, as she says she is, she should be too busy to bother us. And Jimmy said he was only five doors down.”

Nell nodded her head. She got up from the bed, straightened her clothes and set Chiyo on her shoulder. “Five doors along, huh? That shouldn’t be too hard to find.” She said without much conviction.


.

Chapter One. Alone In The Dark.

The mouth of the house suddenly bit closed behind Nell, plunging the little ragdoll into complete and total darkness. Knowing that standing still would get her nowhere Nell slowly made her way deeper into the house. Blindly stumbling along a hall, feeling her way with her tiny mittened hands stretched out before her, desperately trying to ignore the fact that her feet were sinking into the soft floor with each step she took. She was grateful for the darkness if only for the fact she could not see what the floor was made from.

Little Nell felt like she had been walking for hours, groping blindly through the sticky-floored house. The darkness played tricks on her. Noises tried to draw her off the path. Voices whispering promises. The tone of which suggested anything but a happy ending.

A scurry to her left froze her in an instant, one foot hovering mid-air. Tilting her head to the right she tried to focus all her senses. Straining them to the point that the answering silence was deafening. Nell's eyes, although useless in the all encompassing black, darted frantically around trying to find the source of the sound. Her little heart pounded within the confines of her chest.

The rational part of her brain told her she'd made the noise and there was nothing to fear. Slowly lowering her raised foot, hating the way it sank into the soft ground, she took in a calming breath, willing her heart to stop its frightened gallop, and continued her journey into the house with only the whispers to keep her company.

She didn't know when the whispers disappeared but now the only sound was the squelch of her feet and beat of her heart, which seemed to be getting louder. The soft whumpf, whumpf, whumpf rose in volume until Nell realised it was not the beat of her heart. Lifting her head she stared into the darkness only to see a light racing towards her. Wall mounted candles burst into flame, one after the other, flooding the house with an eerie cold light. She stood for a second, her eyes blinded by the sudden onslaught to her senses.

When the spots before her eyes finally cleared, Nell could see the hallway in which she stood, and how she wished she could not. The walls were formed from the same muscle and sinew that the houses' exterior was made from with white cartilage interspersed at almost regular intervals. She slowly lowered her eyes to the floor, her stomach convulsing when she finally glimpsed the ground on which she stood. She was standing on the houses tongue. Saliva coating her toes, soaking the cloth and stuffing alike. Hoping this would be the worst it had to offer, she had no other option but to make her way deeper into the house, bile rising in her throat with every squishy step. She could see that the hall changed further ahead, and quickened her steps, hoping to get away from the horror that currently surrounded her.

Relief flooded through her as she finally stepped off the tongue and onto a solid wooden floor. The brown boards as worn and dirty as the cream plastered walls, her sodden feet leaving prints in the dust. But before she could even sigh, the sound from the woods returned. This time it was not alone, it was accompanied by a rumbling much like the trembling in the ground that thunder brings. It was this that caused her flight. After the night poor Little Nell had had so far there was no way she was waiting around to find out was behind the noises echoing through the house.

Breathing hard, legs failing fast, she could not keep this pace up for much longer but she knew she could not stop. Yet as with everything else, the decision was not in Nell's hands. Her left foot came down on the floor only to have the wood give way beneath it. Crashing to the ground, she hit hard, the rotten wood splintering around her. She managed to grab hold of the splintered plank halting her descent, a cry of terror escaping her mouth. She hung there for what seemed like forever, trying to gather her wits, listening as the rumbling grew nearer with each passing moment.

Her legs kicked wildly in the air as she tried to haul herself back up onto solid ground. Each attempt only made her arms ache all the more. Closing her eyes Nell dropped her head to her chest, fighting down the fear clenching her stomach, and opened her eyes, only to screw them shut with a squeak. She had seen nothing. An unending abyss stretching beneath her. Nell was left with only one option if she wanted to survive this night. Filling her lungs she took the chance and yelled as loud, and as long, as she could, not knowing if anyone would hear her plea.

The rumbling drew ever nearer. The plank, that was her lifeline, shook and rattled. Her heart pounded painfully within her chest keeping time with her ragged breathing. What she felt next almost caused her to fall into the black pit below, her heart making the jump from her chest to her throat. A furry paw had wrapped itself around her wrist and was tugging her up, slowly but surely.



Once her heart settled back into it's assigned position, Nell forced her eyes to move from staring at the paw to take a look at the owner. She looked up into the face of the pink bear, which gritted its teeth in more of a sneer than a smile, as it dragged her up onto her feet. Her brain seemed to have shut down, no words seem to be able to bridge the gap from thoughts to sounds. Even if she had managed to come up with something, there was no way she could have said it, as in the next moment he yanked her arm so hard she swore she heard the stitching shriek. Her legs worked overtime to keep up as he pulled her along the corridor.

As quick as the bear started his run, he stopped. Opening a door on the right, and hurling them both inside, closing the door behind them. They listened as the rumble passed by the door, shaking the wood within its frame, as it carried on up the hallway away from them. Both collapsed on the floor panting in relief. No noise but the rumble growing ever more distant as it continued its journey unhindered, deeper into the house.

The room, in which Little Nell now found herself, was much like the corridor, wooden floors, dirty walls, eerie candlelight. There were differences however. The main one being the bone framed window. The room was furnished with a small bed in the corner, a window and not much else.

Nell took all this in at a glance. Her attention drawn back to the bear as she heard movement beside her. Turning to look, she saw the bear making his way to his feet.

“Thank you.” She said breathlessly, in a voice that seemed too loud, yet it was barely above a whisper, as her brain finally caught up. “You saved my life!”

The bear looked at her for a moment, his big black eyes boring into her. Seeming to size her up.

“No problem. Couldn’t let the Baruss getcha, could I?”

“Baruss?” She asked. The strange word sending a cold chill racing down her spine that had little to do with the temperature of the room.

“The Baruss...It runs through the halls of the house, making sure no one's in the halls. If it finds you....well, you saw the pit.”

She remembered the dead air in which her feet had swung when she had fallen through the floor and the brief glimpse of an eternal fall. Her stomach clenched once more. What an apt name, she thought.

“We're not allowed in the halls?”

“Not after night's fallen, no. The House is very particular about when its hallways should be empty.”

She watched as the bear walked over to the window and stared out, a sad, lonely look on his features. “My name is Nell. I...I don’t know how I got here. Where is here? What is here?”

The bear left the window and came over to sit opposite her, legs crossing beneath him. He stared at the floor as if trying to find the nicest way to break the news. “I don’t really know what this place is to be honest,” he started hesitantly. “I know I have been here for a long time, so long my mind doesn't remember anything before this place, or how I got here.” That sad look covered his face again, his eyes seeming to gloss over as he lost himself in memories. He shook his head after a moment and put a big friendly smile on his face.

“My name is Beeble.” He said, offering his paw. “Nice to meet you Nell.” She took the big paw and shook it, wondering when talking to a teddy bear or having cloth skin became normal.

“I saw you in the window, didn’t I? You were waving to me.” He nodded his head, his big paw rubbing one of his ears in a comical imitation of the way a dog tries to rid itself of a flea. “What about the others I saw in the windows?” She continued, watching the pink bear as he got to his feet and dusted off his fur.

“The others, you will meet tomorrow. Tonight, you sleep. From what I can understand, it is a long journey here, you will need to rest. I will come by again in the morning, show you the house and introduce you to some of the others.”

“Where will I stay? Where will I sleep?”

“This is your room Nell, this is where you will stay. One thing I will say, do not open the door at night. There are more things beside the Baruss wandering the corridors after dark.” He said ominously.


“Stay here on...on my own?” She whispered, her button eyes seeming to grow larger.

“This is the safest place to be Nell, we each have our own room, and nothing from the hallways can enter them, as long as that candle is burning.” He said as he reached for the door handle. She watched as he poked his head out the door, looked right and left, then with a wink thrown over his shoulder, he ran out. The door closed behind him, leaving her alone with her thoughts.

She sat there, her legs huddled beneath her, staring at the door for the longest time. The nights events replaying in her minds eye. Since she woke up in the dark forest, time had run away from her, leaving her more tired than she'd ever known before. Even now, after all she had seen, she still believed this to be a dream.

A house that lived, a dark pink teddy bear that talked. And she was a rag doll. None of these things should exist in any form of reality. But what was her reality before?...before what? Before she woke in the woods? Before she became a doll? Perhaps she had always been a doll.

Her tired mind could no longer focus, throwing more questions out than answers, she began to cry. Great heaving sobs shook her little body. Drawing her knees up from under her and wrapping her arms around them. She began to rock, to and fro, in time to the beat within her chest, in the cold sparse room.

A sob caught in her throat as she heard a tapping noise at the window. Drying her eyes on her soft cloth hands, she rose slowly to her feet, and walked quietly towards the bare window. Through the window the dark forest stood, so cold, black and foreboding, that it made her shiver. Dragging her eyes from the trees, she began to look for the source of the tapping.

Then she saw it, skittering across the window. It was lizard-like, a thick sickly looking thing with orange mottled skin, four thin legs and four large feet tipped with razor sharp claws. It was those claws that were creating the noise as it scratched at the window, trying to climb the glass.

As Nell had approached the lizard had stilled, unsure if friend or foe was coming. Settling on the idea the ragdoll posed no threat, it resumed its movements, slowly trying against the laws of physics to climb the glass. The tap, tap, tap, splat, as each time the lizard fell back to the window ledge brought a genuine smile to Nell's face. The first since this whole nightmare began.

As she continued to watch the lizards efforts she heard a small voice, crying out for help. She looked around but could see nothing, only the slimy lizard thing, running in circles, trying to climb the glass. It stopped and all of a sudden a long green tongue fired out of its mouth in the direction of a small figure that dangled from the centre of the window.

On closer inspection Nell realised the little figure was a spider, not even as big as her mittened hand, dangling from a single strand of silk. It's web laid in ruin, from the wind or the lizard the doll didn't know. But the spider was definitely the source of the shout.

Without a second thought Little Nell swung the window open and reached round to rescue the spider. The Lizard didn't stop trying to get to the spider until the window was back snug in its frame. With a flick of its tongue and a hiss of anger the lizard disappeared from view, off to search for another meal. Nell turned away and made her way to the bed, still chuckling to herself at the lizards behaviour, she sat, opened her hand and took a long hard look at the spider.

The spider had curled into a ball, a defence mechanism that Nell had wanted to adopt more than once tonight. Unable to leave the spider thinking it was still in danger though, she begun to speak gently, trying to coax it out of its fear. Not trying for a conversation, just offering words of reassurance. Her persistence was rewarded when one by one, the spiders long hairy legs unfolded, setting its small feet onto her hand. She stared at the spider for the longest time, wondering if the screams for help had been a figment of her imagination.

“Th..thank you. I really thought that thing was going to eat me.” It said in its small whisper of a voice.

“How did you get here?” Nell asked, still in shock that she was speaking to a spider, and even more surprised at the fact she was not scared.

“I don’t know. I woke up a little while ago, on a web. A freaking web!” The little spider cried.

“Well, you are a spider.” Nell smiled.

“I'm a spider?” She said, shocked, and seemed to see her long legs for the first time. “Wow, I am a spider. How can I be a spider? What is this place? How'd I get here?” She said in a voice growing more hysterical with each question. Sighing Nell knew the spider had arrived the same way she had. Lost, alone and scared beyond belief.

“My name is Nell, what's yours?” she said in an attempt to calm the spider.

“My name is Chiyo.” the spider said, looking away from her legs and back towards Nell.

“Well Chiyo, looks like you and I are in the same boat. I only got here tonight, and from what I've seen, I know it's not a very nice place.”

Chiyo fell silent, folding her legs under herself in what appeared to be her way of sitting.
“Do you remember anything before waking up Nell? Tonight I mean, when you got here?”

“I can't remember a thing before I woke up in the dark forest. But I do know that things are not as they appear here.”

“Why? What makes you think that?”

“Well, for one thing, I don't think I'm supposed to be a doll and surely if I had always been one, it would not come as a shock.”

“Yeah. I don’t remember a thing either. Only waking on the web and that...that...thing trying to eat me.” Chiyo replied, trying to suppress a shudder of revulsion.

They sat for a while in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Although they were both scared and curious as to where and what they were, neither could deny the weariness that weighed down on them.

“It's been one long night,” Nell said around a yawn she could no longer suppress, setting the spider down on the pillow and climbing into the bed beside Chiyo. As she pulled the musty covers up to her chin she rolled on to her side the sight of Chiyo, all curled up in a ball on the other side of the pillow caused her to smile despite her circumstances. Thinking herself lucky to have found a friend she finally let her eyes close. As sleep drifted in, a small whisper came to Nell's ear.

“Thank you Nell.”

Little Nell smiled, she was no longer alone.

.

Prologue

Everyone knows that the first thing you experience is awareness. You may not know what you are, you may not know your purpose but you know you are you, without a shadow of a doubt.

Little Nell knew her name, but not much else, as an annoying sensation tried to tear her from her slumber. A tickle that just wouldn't go away, like a wisp of hair brushing her cheek in the breeze. It stopped and she began to drift, only for it to return. Slowly she opened her eyes and tried to stare through the darkness that surrounded her.

Nell pushed herself up onto uncoordinated elbows and slowly reached to rub the offending tickle away. The sound of coarse fabric rubbing together filled the air. She stifled a surprised cry, both sounds echoing into the darkness. Her hands. They were different. She didn't know what they were supposed to look like, but this was most definitely not it.

Turning her hands over and over, she examined them in the poor light, staring with childlike fascination. They were edged in worn brown stitching and what looked to be stuffing poked out from a small hole on the back of her left hand. Raising the hand to her face again, she heard the same rustling sound. Pushing down the panic and fear growing inside of her, she began to explore her face. Her eyes felt like large round buttons, the old fashioned type with a wide rim and four holes in the centre. Her cheeks were soft and squidgy to touch, and they were getting wetter by the minute as the tears she couldn't hold back fell from her button eyes.

Resting her forehead in her hands, she took in the rest of herself. Her clothes were torn and dirty, the orange top long past its best, the blue skirt barely held together and so thread bare she could see her legs through it. Her legs felt wrong, yet they matched the arms that were now her own.

Her brain started to connect the dots and if she hadn't been sitting the realisation that hit her then would have knocked her to the floor. She was a rag doll. The gasp she let out created a plume of frost in the chilled night air.
Confused and frightened, she began to look past herself to the dark forest she was sat in. The trees were strange twisted things, towering beasts contorted into terrifying shapes that looked as dead as the ground beneath them. The shadows cast by them seemed to have a life of their own, as the wind moved through the leafless branches.

A cry broke the silence that surrounded the ragdoll. It was a deep hungry sound that sent shivers down her spine.

In a heartbeat she was on her feet, and in a lurching motion that lacked any form of style or grace, she ran as hard, and as fast, as her little cloth legs would carry her. She ran blindly through the woods, branches reached for her, snagging her clothes and skin alike. She ran, one foot in front of the other, only changing direction when something blocked her way.

As she rounded a large tree her cloth legs finally gave out on her. Tumbling forward she landed with a thump on the hard packed dirt. Nell began to cry. Everything hurt from her head to her toes, so much so that she forgot the reason she was running.

The seconds ticked by and the tears gradually stopped. The cold began to seep into the very fabric of poor little Nell. This more than anything caused her to start moving again. If there was one thing she hated above all others it was being cold.

Rising on shaky legs, she brushed herself off and checked to see if she had hurt herself. There were a few snags in her cloth-skin here and there, and if she thought her clothes were ragged before she didn't know how to describe them now. The most serious wound was the one to her pride. With a nod and a sigh she looked up and her jaw almost hit the floor. There, in front of her, stood a house.




By Little_Nell

Or at least she thought it was a house. It had no bricks or mortar, no logs or shingles upon its roof. The moonlight seeming to play tricks as it reflected off the surface. As Nell drew closer she realised it was no trick of the light. It appeared alive, as if it were a living, breathing, entity. The walls themselves flesh, and to her horror that flesh housed eyes too numerous to count. All focused on the little ragdolls every move.

The sight made her sick but she could not tear her eyes away. They were caught upon a window, one of many that sat amongst the flesh. The bone framed window was as gruesome as the rest of the house but that was not what caught her attention. In every window the face of a doll or bear could be seen.

Nell was so entranced, she didn't see the door open. A deep rumble that started in her toes and finally reached her ears made her squeak and jump back in fright. It called to her. Knew her name. Beckoning her inside with its deep, rumbling voice.

She stepped closer to the gaping maw, and with a deep breath she hoped would calm her nerves, took one last glance at the windows and saw sorrow and fear in almost every one. One window, however, held a pink bear. His eyes glinting, a smile graced his lips. Waving, he invited her in.

She looked again at the houses mouth and shuddered, before slowly stepping inside.

.